Characterization and modeling of low frequency noise in 0.13 µm BiCMOS SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar trasnsistors

Low frequency noise (LFN) in 0.13 μm BiCMOS SiGe:C was characterized both as a function of base current bias I_B and emitter area A_e. The LFN exhibits typical behavior of 1/f noise for frequencies up to 1 KHz after which the shot noise 2qI is visible, in transistors with large emitter area (A_e > 1μm²). The 1/f noise is modeled following the SPICE compact model, and the LFN parameters K_F and A_F were calculated. The extracted figure of merit K_B = K_F * A_e, has an excellent value of 1.10^-10μm². The transistors with small emitter area (A_e <; 1μm²) can be affected by the presence of generation-recombination (G-R) components. In some cases, where generation-recombination presents large amplitude and high cut-off frequency, it is related to random telegraph signal (RTS).